Kerry Bog Pony Auction to Help Save the Bogs

A Kerry Bog Pony is to be auctioned to help raise funds for the development of a national centre for peatland education, conservation and research. The centre will be developed by the Irish Peatland Conservation Council and located at Lullymore in the Bog of Allen in Co. Kildare.

The Heritage Pony - Ballycleave Heather – has been donated for auction by John Mulvihill of the Kerry Bog Pony Society.

The auction will be completed by the 1st December 2004.

Bids are invited  by post, phone or email via  the IPCC web site at www.ipcc.ie

The lineage and details of Ballycleave Heather are:

Pony Name: Ballycleave Heather
Sire Name: Old Peat
Dam Name: Purple Heather
Height: 10.2 hands or 42" high
Colour: Chestnut with flaxen mane and tail
Breed: Kerry Bog Pony
Sex: Gelding
Age: 5 years
Status: Trained and Groomed
Passport: Registered
Current Owner and Location: John Mulvihill, Kerry Bog Village, Glenbeigh,
Co. Kerry,
Tel: 066-9769184, Fax: 066-9769477
Reserve Price: €1,500
Auction Date: 1st December 2004

Affectionate, kind, sensible, confident and mild mannered - the temperament of the Kerry Bog Pony. And they also possess great endurance and strength.

The Kerry Bog Pony stands at 10 to 11 hands and has a dished face quite like the Arab. Excellent conformation gives the pony a lovely straight and level action with good balance. This intelligent pony is agile and capable of independent thought. The predominant colour is chestnut with a black mane and tail, grey or bay.

The Kerry Bog Pony is registered with the Irish Rare Breed Society and has been awarded the noble title of Ireland's Heritage Pony.

The ponies have successfully competed in driving trials including carriage, dressage, cones and marathon.

Parties interested in making a bid for Ballycleave Heather in the auction should contact the IPCC, Lullymore, Rathangan, Co. Kildare or Tel: 045-860133 or by email bid@ipcc.ie

Please follow progress on our web site home page at www.ipcc.ie . The results of the auction will be published on 1st December 2004

Proceeds from the sale of Ballycleave Heather will be donated to the Irish Peatland Conservation Council, a registered environmental charity.

Kerry Bog Ponies were traditionally used for drawing turf in wicker creels supported on a wheel-less slide cart from the bog. Today the Kerry Bog Pony is an endangered breed mainly because the role for which it was used has declined due to mechanisation and alternative life styles. The re-discovery of the breed is due to John Mulvihill of the Kerry Bog Village, a founder of the Kerry Bog Pony Society. The breed has been recognised by the Irish Equine Centre following blood  and DNA testing. Today the status of the herd stands at around 100, with a healthy mixture of stallions and mares to
facilitate a carefully executed breeding programme. Other enthusiasts of the Kerry Bog Pony involved in the breeding programme include Mr Robert Donaldson of the Ennis Horse Stud in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland.


Irish Peatland Conservation Council
Bog of Allen Nature Centre, Lullymore, Rathangan, Co. Kildare, Ireland
Tel 045-860133 Fax: 045-860481

www.ipcc.ie

bogs@ipcc.ie

Action for Bogs & Wildlife